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Fire

I’ve just been sitting by a fire in the late twilight, breathing in the lovely fragrance of wood smoke on summer evening air. As I was alone I was able to sit silently and stare at the glowing embers undisturbed, apart from the last of the evening swifts, the first of the night time bats, and at some point my cat, who came and silently sat, keeping watch over the moment.

I tried to remember all the countless fires I’d sat beside before, and all the friends I’d shared those moments with. My memory was stretched right back into childhood, even to a song my mother had written about the happy times she had spent sharing a fire with friends before I was born. For a moment I wanted to share this fire moment with someone.

Then it came to me that however much we think we share these elemental moments, we are always alone when faced by earth, air, fire and water. We can be together around a fire, make ceremonies that centre around fire, but ultimately, what we feel when faced by the fundamental elements is a private and personal experience and accounting.

Our bodies, minds and souls are always seeking balance and healing. Experiencing primal elements gives us feedback into ourselves that is beyond words, and if we are open, whatever we experience registers deep within us. It’s usually better to not analyse or try to explain what we think we feel in these moments. The experience just goes in deep, and whatever knowledge we need for our greatest good settles and unfolds in it’s own time, all the better for us not interfering.